Negative people... have a problem for every solution.Posts are commentary and are not necessarily endorsed by RAIL Back on Track or its members. Not affiliated with, paid by or in conspiracy with MTR/Metro.

So I say it would be impossible to have Gocard usage across Australia.

e-Tag and e-tolling work across Australia. I often visit Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, I have a whole heap of plastic cards (sometimes the card malfunctions, more cards...).

There is a real need for a single card for multipurposes, not just PT but also taxi etc. Driver licence is also smart card. There should just be 1 licence issued valid across Australia.

I have been to Japan a couple of times and the first time there was a fair bit of intolerability between cards from different areas, particularly on JR trains with a JR card from a different area (despite branding, every JR company is independent from the others). The second time I went they had made it almost entirely interoperable across Japan in stores and on trains and buses (I travelled from the southernmost to northernmost station and rarely would my card not be interoperable). I never caught a taxi (why would you need to?) but I believe they are also accepted on them. Restauarants, convenience stores, vending machines and all sorts of places accepted cards from all over Japan, many of which would not have EFTPOS facilities (ironically Japan is largely cash-based). I think it is possible in piddly little Australia to have interoperable cards and expand their use. Hell, you can even get computers with a reader on them to make online purchases!